


Don’t Take it for Granted

by inkabelle_designs



Category: BATDR - Fandom, BATDS - Fandom, BINR - Fandom, Batim - Fandom, Bendy and the Ink Machine, Bendy and the dark revival, bendy - Fandom, bendy in nightmare run, boris and the dark survival
Genre: BATIM, Demon Deals, Demons, bendy - Freeform, bendy and the ink machine - Freeform, grant cohen - Freeform, shawn flynn - Freeform, tw: character death, tw: needles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24886624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkabelle_designs/pseuds/inkabelle_designs
Summary: Prompt #1 From the Bendy Writing Club Discord Server: "[Character of choice] discovers Joey's secret ink experiments. How do they react and what do they do?"Grant Cohen has had suspicions about the dark nature of Joey Drew Studios for a long time. Little did he and his coworkers know what was in store for them. But even when you're silent in your suspicions, it can't save you when there are eyes and ears within the walls.
Kudos: 7





	Don’t Take it for Granted

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings:  
> -Character Death  
> -Needles/Medical Tools  
> -Violence  
> -Demon Contracts/Manipulation  
> -Hallucinations  
> -Possession

Carmen Oberon was an interesting young man. On the outside, he was very ordinary, with his messy hair and wrinkled shirt, warm brown eyes and abundance of freckles. He always had a hole in his sock, never bought the right size with how the market was in those days. He was a disheveled mess, and yet it gave him the aura of a mischievous fairy. Perhaps that was why Mr. Drew was so drawn to him back then.

With his company falling apart, people disappearing left and right, times were tough. So of course Joey could use all the help he could get, so long as they didn’t find out about the skeletons in the closet. When Carmen was a teenager, the year was 1955. Joey had continued to work hard to hide the atrocities of his work, and for the most part he’d been successful, save for a few unfortunate leaks in the pipes. But Carmen was none the wiser. This was his childhood idol, the one he and Bella had looked up to since they were tiny tots. He wanted to believe that it was all balderdash, all a ploy from some jealous snob to take down one of the best innovators in cartoon history.  
  
So of course he took the internship in secret that summer. He’d told his loved ones he was helping a grocer stock shelves a few hours away, but in truth, he was at Joey Drew Studios, helping what was left of the animation staff to get through their unfortunate workload. He promised himself that he’d tell them later. Just wait, he’d think to himself, once this cartoon premieres with my name on it, they’ll be so proud! It was the perfect plan. He’d get into the industry and then teach his best friend everything to get her in too. It would be a dream come true, they’d catch their big break: together. 

Of course, things didn’t go as expected. The poor boy found himself running errands more often than not, dipping into every department’s work. So many of the original staff were gone by then. Sammy Lawrence, the music director, had been said to have moved away, writing all the music from home and sending it in to be performed. A younger band director struggled to read his sheets, as they were always saturated with ink, but they did their best. The man was still a musical genius, though his cultish titles were a bit concerning. Susie Campbell had been gone for years, some believed she’d died in a fire. Engineer Tom Connor? Was fired, went off and got married to the lovely Allison Pendle, was looking for work outside of Gent while his wife got a new voice role at Archgate. Norman Polk? No one knew, Joey had just said he'd left. Wally Franks had up and left, moved down south to start his own business. And the Bendyland staff? Nowhere to be seen, the project was so quiet that no one really knew if it was still slated to be completed.  
  
But there were a few people left. Abigail Lambert kept the animation department running, and much like with her old teacher, she gave Carmen a chance to learn everything she could teach. Animations weren’t getting done on time anyway, may as well teach the kid to do things right. Shawn Flynn was still there, grumpier than ever, always complaining about how frugal his boss was in the merchandise department. Of course, with the way immigrants were treated, no one else would hire him. What choice did he have but to slave away in the toy factory? How would he keep his family fed? His poor children, they didn’t deserve to starve.

And then there was Grant Cohen. Grant was a smart man, but he was soft spoken. And while he was far smarter than Joey could ever hope to be with words and numbers, he could never seem to get through to his boss. So it should come as no surprise that the poor guy struggled in his tiny office. Grant worked through the finances day in and day out, often staying behind hours after the studio was closed. Of course, Joey didn’t know about this, if he had, he would’ve blown his top. None of the studio members were allowed to stay past 8 pm after what had happened years ago. He refused to have a repeat of _the incident._

Carmen found himself making deliveries to finances more often than not. Rolls of paper, accounting books, and pencils. Carmen always wondered about that, why write anything in pencil? But Grant always assured him that it was necessary. 

"Don't wanna get those records wrong, pencil ensures I'll be able to fix it if I make a mistake. Ink...ink is permanent, kid. There's no erasing something that dark."

Carmen didn't really understand at the time, but goodness knows he does now. 

"Mr. Cohen?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you keep doing this if it makes you miserable?"

Grant paused for a moment. It was almost as if he hadn't really thought to stop and consider it before. Working for Joey did in fact make him miserable, but so did a lot of things. Loud noises, Shawn's cursing, Sammy when he was irritable, the fact that his office had no windows, ink spills and their awful fumes, the list went on. And Joey? Oh Mr. Drew was probably the thing that made him most miserable, having to redo his work twenty times over to keep things afloat. Sometimes he wondered if he was being tested, and what for? Why did he stay? Why did he put up with this?

The answer wasn't very comforting. 

"What would I do if I weren't here?"

Carmen raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, get yourself a job where you're not stuck down here? Joey put you so low in the studio, yet you're one of the most important people here. Without you nothing can happen."

Grant chuckled. It was a nice chuckle, very contrasted with how gentle yet deep it was. "If that's true, then I can't leave. Mr. Drew says that to everyone though, goes on and on about how all of us matter, but then he treats us like dirt." Grant shook his head and clicked his tongue. "No sir, I don't truly believe it. But I've been here too long, seen too many things. I don't want to be responsible for dashing that man's dreams. That's a fire you don't want to face."

Carmen looked at him curiously. "How so sir?"

Grant had a small twinkle in his eyes as he pulled out some scrap paper. It helped him to doodle as he explained, the less eye contact the better. 

"You ever heard the story of how the studio got started?"

Carmen nodded. "Yeah, Mr. Drew and Mr. Stein built it together, right?"

Grant nodded as he swirled his pencil around. "They were two peas in a pod, always laughing together. When they could afford to go to the bar, they'd do silly things with singing songs, it was always a joy to watch. It was a weird sort of harmony, Lawrence might’ve called it dissonance once, but they made it work." Grant sighed. "I didn't get to see much of it, but when I did, it was special. Two best friends, building a dream together, honoring people that meant the world to them. It was something beautiful. But it all went to crap." Grant bit down on his pencil. 

Carmen cocked his head to the side, adjusting his weight as he leaned on the desk. "Praytell, why? You don't just stop being best friends, something has to happen, right?"

Grant nodded again. "Mr. Drew was great sometimes, but most of the time he had cotton in his ears. Poor Stein wasn't allowed to do anything but what Joey wanted. No creative freedom, no compromise, no more control over his own creations. Longer hours, harsher deadlines, taking away the coffee machine, you know how it goes. Always taking, never giving, much less sharing." Grant sighed. "My guess is he got sick of it. But then something else happened." 

Carmen could see the smirk on Mr. Cohen's face. That only made him more impatient to know more. "What happened then? Spit it out!"

Grant couldn't help but laugh. "Well gee, you'd think I was in the writing department with how invested you are. Alright alright, I'll give it to ya." He smiled, wiping a tear from his eye. "There was a hot little number, a sweet young thing that came as a secretary a few years in. Linda, oh she was a sight to behold. Not only was she gorgeous, she was smart, incredibly smart. She handled all of Mr. Drew's appointments and scheduling with such grace, people were always charmed by her first, before Joey could ever get snakey with 'em." 

"Wow, she sounds like quite a gal." Carmen whistled. 

"She was, still is from what I've heard. But she had eyes for only one person, the most oblivious person here. Oh Henry, little lovesick fool he was after she came on over and gave him a peck on the cheek. You gotta understand, back in those days a woman couldn't be so straightforward about things, but Linda was fearless. She was somethin'." Grant sighed. “‘Course, Mr. Drew was a bit jealous. I mean he hired her, so he must’ve thought she was good lookin’ too, but Henry was always the one all the folks went after. He was kind, honest, gentle, well mannered. His parents raised him right. So of course Linda liked him better, he was just as charming as she was.” 

“So they got along well, big deal.” 

“It was a big deal. Joey got so gosh darn jealous. I tell ya, I’d never seen him glare at someone so much. One might argue that it’s the reason he put so much work on Henry, to keep them apart.” Grant shook his head and looked to his paper, still swirling the pencil around. “Bottom line, Henry got overworked, and he was never really the same after that. But then he and Linda popped each other the question, and well, they left. Henry went off to become a professor a few towns over, and we’ve had interns come from him ever since. I almost mistook you for one of them at the start of your time here.” 

The boy looked to Grant in surprise. “Really? Wow, I mean, I wasn’t expectin’ that.” He rubbed the back of his head and blushed. “Mistakin’ me for a student of Henry Stein? Well I’m downright flattered.” 

Grant grinned, his teeth shining from underneath his bristly mustache. “You’ve got some swagger kiddo. One day I hope you get outta here and find yourself a real animation job, with one of the big boys. It’d be an awful shame for all that talent to go to waste.” 

Carmen nodded and tipped his hat. “That I can do sir. One day you’ll see my name in the credits of a Disney production, just you wait. I’m gonna bring my friend along too, we’ll make the best flicks to ever be, the next Cinderella I tell ya!” 

“Cinderella eh?” Grant chuckled, shaking his head. “Now why that one specifically?” 

“It’s Bella’s favorite.” Carmen grinned as he leaned against the wall, sighing dreamily at the thought. “It’s the perfect little story. Girl who’s kind and lovely never stops believing in her dreams, and when she comes close to losing it all, she ends up a princess with the love of her life. And finally, everyone sees just how wonderful she is. Ain’t that beautiful?” 

Grant nodded. “It’s a lovely little tale. So you’re friend’s like Cindy eh?”

“I’d say so. Bells has all the bells and whistles, she’s downright beautiful inside and out.” He sighed. “More than anything, I’d like her to believe in the impossible, just a little bit. She keeps saying that she’ll never get to share her drawings with anyone but me, but that just shouldn’t be.” 

He looked to the floor as he pulled a pocket watch from his pants. It looked far too nice to belong to someone as poor as him, but one look and Grant deduced why it was there. 

“Heirloom?”

“Yeah, from my pa. He went off to the military years ago...haven’t seen him since.” 

“Helps you remember him?”

“Helps me remember all the important people.” 

Carmen flipped the pocket watch around so Grant could see. Inside its lid was a very old and very ripped up photo. A man, a woman, and two adorable children. Each child looked related enough to one of the adults, but not the other. Somehow Grant could understand that. Two kids, each with a single parent, hobbling together to make a family with the scraps. 

_At least they had each other. Wouldn’t it be a shame if they had no one?_

Grant’s head turned, looking to the vial of ink on the top of his desk.

_Wouldn’t it be a shame? For them to have no one?_

_To be alone_

_Like you?_

The lights flickered. There was a looming darkness over the room, one that was more felt than it was seen. 

_Go ahead Grant. Take him. Bring me more! More talent, more affection!_ **_More Souls!_ **

“No.” Grant whispered. He looked to Carmen, and the boy could see fear in his eyes. That deliciously prevalent fear, oh he reeked of it. It was just too tasty. They needed **more.**

“NO! You can’t have me, and you can’t take him either!” Grant jumped from his spot and stood in front of Carmen defensively. “You’ve done enough!”

_Aww, you’re no fun Mr. Cohen.~ Don’t you want a big happy family? Isn’t this little morsel just like the son you’ve always wanted?_

The voice that loomed in his nightmares wouldn’t leave him be. This was a regular occurrence when he was alone, he heard a well of voices that taunted him, told him to do terrible things. He had no idea what they meant, but they scared him. But never did they appear when someone else was around. He was afraid, very afraid.

Carmen looked confused, and concerned, as he held Grant’s shoulder. “Whoa, Mr. Cohen, what’s wrong? Take it easy!”

“No, I can’t! I’ve had enough!” He grabbed Carmen by the arm and yanked him out of the office with him, locking it quickly before running off. “You were right, I AM miserable here! We’re grabbing Shawn and getting out of here! Hurry!” 

“What? Whoa, hey, wait a second! Where are we going?!” 

“OUT! Out! Far away from here where it can’t hurt you!” 

Carmen could only run to keep up as the stout man dragged him along. He’d never noticed just how old Grant looked, was there always so much gray in his hair, or wrinkles under his eyes? 

“Flynn! Flynn grab your bag, we’re heading out!” 

Was his voice always so rough and labored? Was it always so...so old?

Shawn looked up from his desk, confused to see Grant running over to him. “What in blazes are ye talkin’ about Co’ehn? Where are ya goin’?” 

Grant merely grabbed his arm too and ran. “We’re leaving for lunch!” 

Shawn was jerked along. “Aye! But ah brought my own, my sister’s recipe!” 

“It’ll have to wait, I have a coupon that’ll expire if we don’t use it.” Grant looked at him, desperate to clue him in, but Shawn was just too dense. 

“Um, okay?” He turned to the intern and shrugged. “Dun worry about it lad, Grant can be a bit eccentric over a good deal. All that numbery stuff makes ya downright daffy.”

Grant quietly cursed to himself as he went along, desperate to find the stairs. He knew the elevator wouldn’t do them any good. His stubby little legs were wearing out fast though, he could only get so far, and he felt the darkness closing in. He was almost to the first level, they were so close!

“Going somewhere Mr. Cohen?”

That voice. That voice was bone-chilling. 

“M-mister Drew. What are you doing up here so soon? Early lunch?”

Of course Grant would know that. Being good with numbers meant more than just math. He had schedules memorized in and out. And Joey was always out of his office on Wednesday at exactly 12:36. Grant never knew why, it was just the rhythm of things. It was currently 11:56. 

“I needed to get out of the routine a little, air out the brain to get those creative juices flowing.” Mr. Drew chortled a little, covering his wicked smile. “Where exactly are you headed Mr. Cohen? I thought your break wasn’t for another twenty minutes.” 

“I, I-I um-um-”

Grant gulped. For as good as he was with words, this had him tongue tied. His breathing was sharp, his head hurt, and his thoughts were twisted. Carmen looked at him in confusion as the accountant started to tip over. 

“Mr. Cohen!” He exclaimed. Carmen held him carefully and lowered him into a kneel. “Mr. Cohen? What’s wrong?”

Shawn could see the concern in the kid’s eyes. Frankly, he was concerned too. Grant did not look well. It was like he’d seen a ghost, the life was sucked right out of him. He carefully knelt down and lifted the man’s arm over his shoulder. 

“Lunch’ll have tah wait lad. We gotta get him down to the infirmary. Aye?”

Carmen nodded and took his other shoulder, and the two carried him over to the sick bay. Joey simply smiled as they left and went off to leave for lunch. He couldn’t be late for this next appointment after all, duty calls. 

The last place Grant wanted to be was the infirmary. It spooked him to no end, and right now he was in trouble. He wanted to scream, he wanted to run away, but something in his body just shut down. He couldn’t manage to move on his own. 

Shawn carefully laid him down on the cot and brushed his hair out of his face. Carmen couldn’t help but think it was a practiced motion, like a father would do for their child. Mr. Flynn turned to look for the nurse. Genevieve was seated in the corner, re-organizing her supplies as they came in. But when she saw how pale Grant was, she immediately got up and went to investigate. 

“Oh dear, what the heck happened to him?” 

Shawn shrugged. “He was rushin’ tah get up the stairs to go to lunch. Ah thought he just got all fatigued, but it feels like it's more than that.”

Grant tried to speak, but no sound came out of his mouth. He could see the darkness closing in. Trickles of ink creeping down the ceiling, spreading like blackened veins in someone’s eye. It hurt. It was close, too close. 

“L-leave!” He wheezed and coughed, struggling to give them a warning. “Go! R-pft-run! Leeeeave! Leave!” He had tears in his eyes. How could they not see the present danger? Shawn had been there as long as he had, and Gen had been there even longer. How could they not hear the monster?

Carmen held onto Grant’s hand. “We can’t leave you Mr. Cohen. It’s gonna be okay, we’re here to help.” He turned to the nurse. “You got any paper? Something he can write on?”  
  
Shawn raised an eyebrow. “Don’tcha see how hard he’s shakin’?” He gestured to Grant’s hands. They were definitely too shaky to write anything.

Gen pushed them both aside. “You two go and wait outside, I need my space to work. The best thing you can do is go get some food and water for him when we’re done, okay?” She looked at Carmen and patted his shoulder. “It’ll be alright, I promise. I’ll make sure he’s right as rain darling.” 

Carmen nodded before squeezing Grant’s hand one last time. “Alright. We’ll be back soon. Take care Mr. Cohen.” 

Shawn got one last look at him before he left. He said nothing, for his face said it all. He was scared. What was gonna happen to his friend? But he left with Carmen in a hurry. Grant could faintly hear Carmen talking about dragging him to the gas station to pick up one of those little chocolate snack cakes. Grant’s heart hurt. Those were his favorite. That kid was so thoughtful. 

But in his heart of hearts he knew, somehow he knew, he wouldn’t be enjoying snack cakes with his co-workers after this. 

He was right.

Gen carefully checked all of his vitals and tried to get him as comfortable as possible. She lived up to her promise, she took good care of him. But as he watched her, he noticed she was looking rather worn out too. Gen had been there from the beginning. Sure, she’d taken some time off to aid the nursing effort during the war, but she came back, still spry and hearty. But today she looked terribly old. Her wrinkles showed more, there was silver slipping into her hair, and her hips looked as though they ached as she moved around. Grant hadn’t been here in a long time, but it wasn’t long enough for her to look like death just yet. 

There was a knock on the wood of the wall. Grant turned his head, and once again he was filled with fear. A gorgeous woman walked in from the doorway. Skin the color of caramel, eyes as orange as pumpkins, and long wavy locks as black as raven’s feathers, all dolled up in her evergreen blouse and black pencil skirt. Two sharp heels clacked gently against the floor. 

“Oh, Miss Farah! I’ll be with you in a bit, I need to get Grant stabilized first.” 

The young woman laughed, a tinkly sort of sound, but to Grant, there was a wicked undertone. This was Mister Drew’s secretary after all. While Linda has a gentle touch, Belphene Farah took a very different approach. On most days, she was kind and charming, maybe even a bit seductive. But today, Grant saw smoke following her. No employee could deny that there was something off about her, otherworldly even, but that was all just speculation. Grant, oh Grant could see something sinister on the horizon. Underneath those ruby red lips, her teeth were sharp, and like a lioness ready to pounce, she had her prey right where she wanted him. 

“Oh don’t you worry ‘bout a thing Gen, I’ve come to assist.” 

Gen chuckled, not looking up as she continued her work. “You’ve very funny Miss Farah, but I’m the one with medical expertise. I assure you I can handle this.”

“Oh I don’t doubt your abilities Gen.” Belphene smirked as she crossed the room. “I’m just here to do my job.” She laughed. 

Gen adjusted her glasses and looked at her in confusion. “I beg your pard-AGH!” 

And with the snap of her fingers, the nurse was on the floor, unconscious. Belphene chuckled and shook her head. “She’s just too good at her job, isn’t she Grant? But there’s been a change in protocol, and you’re due for a much _lengthier_ checkup today. Isn’t that right Genevieve?” 

As Belphene raised her arm, the nurse got herself back up from the ground, eyes still closed as she nodded. “Good girl. Go get your supplies my dear, we have some work to do. We don’t want to keep our sweet little accountant waiting, do we?” 

Slowly the nurse opened her eyes. Grant would’ve jumped, but he was stuck in place, shivering up a storm. Genevieve wasn’t there anymore. She was just an empty shell, with glowing yellow eyes replacing her formerly beautiful ones. Blackened veins cracked beneath them like tears as she walked over to the cabinet. 

Grant growled as he looked up at Belphene. Finally he felt he could speak again. “Why are you doing this?! The ink is everywhere, it’s eating us from the inside out! Please, let her go, just stop!”

Belphene merely laughed. “Oh darling, you think you’d be more familiar with how demons work after being here for so long. But that’s just not how it goes. You don’t have a contract with me, now do you?” She sat herself down on a cushioned stool, leaning back as she threw one leg over the other. “I’m merely following orders. The boss isn’t happy with the current performance, so it’s my job to get things running smoothly again.” 

Grant looked at her helplessly. “But why are you doing this? Why can’t we just talk about it and come to a solution together?” 

“Now what fun would that be?” She smirked. “My master tires of waiting for you to do the right thing. No matter how he pushes you, you haven’t budged from your ethics. So clearly we’ll have to get a little creative, now won’t we?” She placed a hand over her heart. “We need the right numbers Grant, either you find a way to make this work, or things will take a turn for the worse.” 

Grant struggled to sit up, terrified as he saw the nurse reaching for her needles. “B-but I’ve TRIED! I’ve done everything in my power, the numbers just don’t add up! Joey gave me all the financial information, didn’t he?” He shuddered as he saw Gen coming closer. “A-and if you’re some all-powerful demon, how come YOU can’t make this work huhn? What, Joey wasn’t willing to sell his soul for money?”

Belphene merely rolled her eyes. “No, he was more concerned with arbitrary things. He’s given up too much of his soul already to have any left for riches.” She smirked. “Though if _you_ wanted a transaction, I could certainly make that happen.”

Grant narrowed his eyes. “Why would I ever sell my soul for this company? I’ve given Drew more than enough as is. Ever since he installed that damn machine-”

“I know, it’s horrible isn’t it.” She stuck out a pouty lip. “I’ll admit, that was the dumbest deal he could’ve made. The ink machine, truly a nasty thing. And all these awful hallucinations you’ve had since its installation, it’s tiring, isn’t it?”

The nurse was right above Grant, holding a needle in her hand. It was filled with a vile black sludge, something that shouldn’t be anywhere near medical equipment as far as Grant was concerned. 

He shivered as he looked to them both. “What are you going to do to me?” 

“Are you sure you want to know?” Belphene sauntered over. She knelt next to his bed, her eyes glowing softly in the low light of the studio.

“Please, I just want this to stop!” Grant had tears in his eyes. “Our staff has suffered for years, people keep leaving, the treatment is awful. I just want to go home, I just want all of us to go home and find somewhere else to work.” 

Now, one would think that his captor would be incredibly cruel and beyond persuasion. If you asked the others that had fallen to her tricks, they would’ve told you as much. But Belphene was not all that she seemed. In that brief moment, Grant could see beyond her mask of confidence. He could see genuine regret in those unholy eyes. She held onto his hand, the way you would your grandmother as she’s dying in the hospital. 

“I’m sorry Grant...I never thought he would take it this far. But there’s nothing I can do to stop the inevitable, just to delay it.”

“But you’re a demon, right? Don’t you have some kind of magic or something to just end it all?”

Belphene shook her head. “A demon’s power is only as good as the contract that provides it. I wasn’t clever enough to foresee this, I never thought Joey was a legal mastermind.” She sighed. “I wish more than anything that I could undo my mistakes, but there’s a great deal I’ve been forbidden to do. I can’t tamper with the plans.” 

“What does he want with us?! What did we do to deserve this?”

“Nothing.” She stood up and moved the nurse to sit her down. “That’s what’s so frustrating about it. He’s blaming the wrong people for all his mistakes, thinks you’re all abandoning him.” She smirked and shook her head. “Dreadful, isn’t it? But that’s why you were called here today.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Don’t lie to yourself Grant. The ink knows everything. And it knows you’ve been hiding from it.” She sighed. “Writing all the finances in pencil, a horrible idea for long-term records, but genius for getting around me. You’re smarter than he took you for.” She fixed her hair as she continued. “But the unfortunate truth of the matter is that it knows you were suspicious. You know too much, therefore we have to get rid of you. I wish it weren’t that way, really I don’t, but orders are orders.” 

“So you’re going to kill me then?” Grant could feel the tears rising in his eyes. “Is that what you’ve done with them, killed them all? But then who’s writing under Sammy’s name? Where’s Alice’s voice getting recorded? How are you doing any of this?” 

“All I can say is that Drew isn’t as stupid as you think.” She smirked. “He knows all of you are necessary, even if he tries to convince himself otherwise. They’re not really dead, but I wouldn’t call them alive either.” 

“What does that even mean?!”

“You’ll find out soon enough my little accountant. But I suppose it would be best for us to get a move on, shall we? You only have so much time before anyone comes back. You don’t want anyone else getting wrapped up in this, do you?” 

Grant hesitated to speak. “I-I...I don’t know what you plan to do with me, but you leave Shawn and the kid out of it. They didn’t do anything to deserve getting hurt, no one did.”

“You hardly have a leg to stand on dear.”

No sooner than the words left her mouth, he felt a burning pain in his gut that sent him wrenching. He bit his lip so hard that it bled, trying to stifle his screams. No, he wouldn’t give anyone the satisfaction. He could feel his tears stinging against his face. He wiped them away, but when he looked at his hand, it was stained with black. His tears, they weren’t right! None of this was right! That was ink, how was there ink falling from his face?

“You’ve been here for so long, it’s found ways into your system that you never would have imagined. Almost all of you are tainted, there’s no escaping the inevitable.”

“S-so the visions-”

“It’s all connected Grant. Everything is connected somehow.” 

“So...s-so Shawn…”

“Shawn is destined to the same fate you are. Neither one of you can escape this.” 

“And...and the kid?”

“Now that’s a trickier case.” She shook her head. “Drew’s been pondering what to do about that. I mean he’s a hearty young fellow, wouldn’t you agree? Spruce up his suit a little and he could make for a great new face in the company?” She grinned wickedly. “Imagine it, a little protege, the next ‘Henry Stein’ to take over the department and then get burnt out. Wouldn’t it be something?”

“You can’t do that to him!” Grant struggled to sit upright again, holding his chest in pain. His hands, they looked pruney, like they were being rotted just from the exposure. “He’s got a family to come home to, you can’t take him away from them!” 

“You mean like you were taken from yours?” 

“W-what? How did you-”

“I know everything there is to know about you Grant. Don’t forget what your papers are signed in.” She smirked. “You ever wondered why so many ‘lost souls’ find their way here?” She leaned over him, holding her arms on either side of the bed frame, getting right up in his face. He could smell the brimstone that mixed with her perfume now. 

“You ever wondered why so many of you were so desperate coming here? Orphans, parents with hungry mouths to feed, a certain voice actress with dreams too big to be plausible? Haven’t you ever noticed what a group of ragtag misfits you are, how strange it is that you all come from such dire circumstances? You’ve never been alone Grant, you were all chosen for a reason.”

“So no one could miss me when I was gone?” 

“..No. No, not that at all…” 

He doubted her for a moment, but given how her twisted monologue was turning, he wondered, what was the reason then? And then he thought about it. As stressed and as tired as he was, as afraid as he was for whatever was about to happen, there was one thing that reigned true. There was something about this place that spoke to him, something that kept them all connected. They were all people that either had someone depending on them, or no one to come home to. And when you have no one…

“...You want a family.” 

Belphene nodded. “More than anything, the original contract called for bringing together people who needed a place to call home, people who could learn to love and trust together.” She shook her head. “That clause was removed a long time ago.” 

Grant almost wondered why he was still here then, but the earlier questions had answered that for him, he was necessary, somehow. 

“Belphene...there’s no saving any of us, is there?”

“There’s no saving most of you, that much is true.” 

He carefully held her shoulders from where she was leaning over him. “Please...I...I’d like to make a deal with you.” 

“A deal?”

“Yes, a deal!” Grant pulled himself up, and soon enough they were sitting eye to eye. “I...I’m willing to give you my soul, no fuss, no fighting, but...i-in exchange, I need you to promise me that you’ll get that kid out of here and make sure he never gets caught in Joey’s clutches.” 

Belphene raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

“...W-well you’re not about to let me out, and you already said most of us are stuck with this fate. If I could, I’d ask for you to save everyone, but that hardly sounds possible.” 

She thought about it for a moment. “...Don’t be so sure.” She held onto his hands, the ink not daring to transfer onto her own. “There may be something I can do for you to that extent, but it’s a bit of a longshot.” 

“Please, whatever it takes. They’re good people, they don’t deserve to suffer under Drew anymore, just send them home!” 

“Whoa, hang on, hang on!” She gripped him tighter. “Be careful what you wish for, it’s not so direct. The fate is predetermined, I can’t change the first phase. But I can give you hope for the second.” She transitioned to holding him close in her arms, hugging him tightly as she whispered in his ear. “I’ll make sure the boy goes free and that he never discovers this place again so long as Joey’s still living. I’ll also ensure that you will eventually escape what I’m about to subject you to. But you must give me not only your soul, but your heart as well.”  
  
“M-my heart?”  
  
“Yes, your heart. It holds so much that is precious, memories that can hurt you with where you’re going. I’d be doing you a favor, taking away such an awful burden.” Belphene cooed. 

Grant pondered for a moment. “No...my heart is worth a great deal of things, but I don’t want to save myself. I want to protect Shawn. Promise me Shawn will escape one day.”  
  
“Is that all?” 

“One last thing...can I...can I at least get to say goodbye?”

Belphene had to fight hard not to cry at that. She wasn’t all that emotional, everyone knew that, but that...that hit her hard. She knew what had happened to the others. _She knew none of them had gotten a goodbye, so why should Grant?_ Because she toyed with him and let her guard down, and what she was about to do would be the most awful pain he ever felt. She knew what was coming, she knew what had to be done. So...giving him one last comfort didn’t sound so bad. But it would be tricky.  
  
“You’ve already been infected by the ink, I’m not sure it’s safe to let you out there now...but...just this once, I can give you one last comfort.” She hugged him a little tighter. “Just do me one favor.”

“What?” 

“Scream.” 

“Wha-AGHHH!” 

It happened so fast that he didn’t see it coming. The possessed nurse plunged her needle into his back and pushed. He could feel the awful substance rotting him into nothing the minute it made contact, eating him alive. It spread like a virus, swift and merciless as it stole the things that made him human. 

Belphene left a tender kiss upon his still bleeding lip, taking the blood that was necessary for their contract. And with one swift motion, Grant’s body felt empty as it fell onto the cot, broken and lifeless as his pieces were collected. Yet, despite not existing as he had before, he could still feel everything as he withered and decayed within the ink. Belphene held his soul close within her heart, cradling it like one would a newborn. That idea wasn’t so far off, for like so many of them, Grant would be reborn. Existence would never be the same for him again, the question remained though, of what Joey might deem him a good fit to be. 

With a snap of her fingers, Belphene disappeared from the room with the body in tow, everything clean and tidy. And poor Genevive was left with a set of memories that didn’t belong as her eyes faded back to something far more human. 

Belphene tucked the body away in the one place it would be safe, until the ritual could be done. For now, she had one last thing to take care of. 

  
  


It took a while for Carmen and Shawn to make their way back, but when they did, there was Grant, doing just fine in the lobby. He smiled at them and asked if everything went well. They held him tightly in their arms. And so they all took a seat outside, on the bench that sat just outside of the studio, and their snack cakes were enjoyed. Grant had one last taste of freedom, and it was deliciously covered in chocolate frosting. He held his friends close and explained that it was almost a seizure.

“I’m afraid this is it for me boys. I’m getting too old to keep doing this, I’m putting in my letter of resignation as soon as Joey’s back.” 

Shawn held his hand. “Aye, ay understand...but it won’t be the same without ya Coh’en, I’m gonna miss ya.” 

“We both will.” Carmen rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve. “You really have to go?”

“I’m afraid it’s a done deal kiddo. Frankly, I think you both ought to get going too. Joey’s been abusing us for far too long. I don’t want either of you getting hurt anymore.” Grant said. 

Shawn squeezed his hand tighter. “Ay know ya mean well Grant, but I can’t. My family, my lads, my lass, my wife, they need me to bring home the bread.” 

Grant held him closer. “Have you considered applying to the new museum down the street?”

“Grant, ay know ya mean well, but I’m a toymaker, not some stuffy hoity toity art historian. What use would they have for a guy like me?”

“Well I heard they’re looking for people who know a thing or two about marionettes for an upcoming exhibit. ‘The history of puppetry’ they call it.” Grant nudged him in the elbow. “Sounds like it’s up your alley.”

Shawn blushed a little. Curses, he thought, Grant remembered his drunken stories.

Carmen raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you make puppets too?”

“Oh yeah, he’s an expert.” Grant chuckled. “When we first got him here, he thought we were a theater for children’s shows. Begged us so hard to let him and his puppets in. What was that one little guy of yours, the little cowboy fella?”  
  
“Oi, ya don’t have tah bring up Carver!” Shawn held his hat over his face in embarrassment. “But the man’s not lyin’, I be a puppeteer in me heart of hearts. Used tah use ‘em tah entertain my little ones when they could hardly talk, it was a blessin’.” He sighed. “Ay do miss those days. I almost considered tryin’ that stop-motion whatchamacallit.” 

Carmen perked up at that. “Stop motion? I’ve seen flicks that have that before, they’re so stinkin’ good!” He snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. “Hey, how’s about you and me try to do some stop motion films? You make the best figures, and I could animate ‘em like nobody’s business! We’d be a team!” 

Shawn thought it over for a moment. “That doesn’t sound like such a bad plan. I like yer thinkin’ lad!” 

“Yeah! And you could join in too, Grant. We’d definitely need your financial expertise!” 

Grant simply smiled and shook his head. “I’ll have to decline this time. I owe someone a favor, an old friend needs me to come help him with a business deal in Vermont.” 

“Vermont? Ya don’t say!” Shawn punched his shoulder. “Hope ya have a hankerin’ for zucchini and maple syrup Coh’en, ‘cause you’re gonna see a lot of it out in Vermont!” 

Carmen looked a bit disappointed, but he nodded. “Hey, if that’s what you gotta do, then do it. Go have fun, ya hear? And try to write every once in a while, alright?”  
  
Grant nodded. “I’ll do my best. Come on, let’s go write you up some letters and get severance with HR. It’s about time we get you started on your journey.  
  
And so they all went in and said goodbye. It was bittersweet. Leaving behind so many friends, some that felt like family. But there were lots of well wishes sent as the offices got cleaned out. Grant said he’d stay behind to deliver the news to Joey, so they’d better get a move on. But they both left him with one last hug before they left.  
  
“Thank you Mr. Cohen, for everything. I’ll never forget you and Abby. Hopefully one day you’ll get to see our flicks, I’ll save an autographed copy just for you.” 

Grant nearly lost it as he held Carmen tighter. This kid, he thought to himself, what a good kid he is. 

It was a shame they’d never meet again.

So Carmen and Shawn hurried off, without another word now that all had been aired. But Grant stayed behind and went back inside, walking down to a place he hadn’t seen before. He sighed as he sat down in the center of the ritual room. His stubby legs gained back their slender and tall build. His hair grew significantly until it touched his behind. His skin changed color back to caramel, and his eyes were a beautiful shade of pumpkin once more. But that wasn’t all. From his head, two pearly horns jutted out, arcing like that of a ram’s. A slender tail with a spade on the end formed from his tailbone. Now dressed in attire more suited for a flapper than a demon, Belphene got herself comfortable in the spot and let Grant’s soul leave her chest. She held it close to her, its glowing silver light shining in the darkness. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, struggling not to cry. “I’m so sorry. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Grant was warm in her grasp, that warmth flaring hotter as he was held. It was like standing next to an oven, when cookies were baking on a rainy day. 

“I know,” he whispered. “I know…”

“One day, I promise, I’ll find a way to fix this. I’ll find someone to help me undo all the damage I’ve caused, I won’t let Joey do more damage once this is over.” 

“Is that all?” 

Belphene smiled sadly as she sniffled, rubbing away her tears. “Don’t get cheeky too soon Grant.” 

“Sorry, I’m dead. I’m finally free to have a sense of humor, right?” He chuckled, but he was quick to sigh. “How much longer until Joey comes back?”  
  
“Not too much. Just wait until closing, then we can be done with this. I’m...sorry, for what you’re about to go through.” 

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s a deal. I’ve dealt with my fair share of contracts to know how awful they can be. Just next time, you’ve got my heart with you, don’t be afraid to ask for advice when you draft one.” 

His tone was so gentle with her. He should hate her, he should be mourning his fate, but here he was, offering to help her. Grant was so small in the grand scheme of things, that’s what Joey had always said. But Belphene knew better. One small act of kindness could make a world of difference. Grant was a prime example of the difference kindness could make. She’d let him have some calm before the storm, for now she could give them peace after it.  
  
I’m sure you’re sitting here wondering, what became of Grant? How outraged was Joey over losing three of his talents? Does he know another deal was made? Well I can’t answer the first two, but I can give you the last: No, he doesn’t. I refuse to tell him what happened. I refuse to give into him any more than I already have. We’ve all made terrible mistakes, I know I’ve made too many. But he doesn’t get to be as omnipresent as he wants to be. I’ll keep hiding the truth for as long as I can. Then maybe someday, I can set this right. I just need some help. 

I just need a friend, to help set them free. 

**Author's Note:**

> SO, bet you weren’t expecting that! Technically speaking, I should use this as a flashback chapter for Searching the Depths, but honestly? I like it better as a flashback one-shot. That was 21 Google Docs pages of fun, oh boy. Let me give you a better idea of what you just read: 
> 
> This spring I got invited to the Bendy Writers Club, a Discord server filled with fanfic writers that are pretty awesome at what they do. Recently they hosted their first prompt challenge, and the prompt was this: "[Character of choice] discovers Joey's secret ink experiments. How do they react and what do they do?" 
> 
> Originally I wrote this intending to flesh out Carmen, a character of my own creation that’s been briefly mentioned in Searching the Depths. But as I went on, I realized I wanted to write a Grant story, since I haven’t gotten to explore him much as a character, same with Shawn. And considering Shawn is about to be pretty important in the next chapter of Depths, I think it’s worth it to explore him here briefly. Also, if you’ve read Depths, or my fanfic titled “Too Many Eyes,” then Belphene might also be familiar to you, as she’s a demon Joey contracted to bring success to his studio, along with the ink machine down the line. Another much smaller reference here is the nurse, Gen. If you’ve read my much older fic, Raindrops and References, you may recall I had a mermaid named Genesis there that went by Gen. Surprise! This is a different iteration of her within my own studio, as opposed to the AU I was borrowing for that fic (which I still love and reread often, go IEGH!). I’ll admit, I didn’t put a ton of focus on her accent this time around, kind of debating if I want to keep that about her character, we’ll see. Also, you may have caught the brief Showdown Bandit reference with Shawn’s puppet career. I don’t know if these worlds are connected or not in the canon, but I’m gonna say Shawn absolutely had some freelance work to make ends meet and made Doc Carver’s design here in my world because that would be cool. 
> 
> Either way, this was a lot of fun to write. I know it doesn’t adhere to the prompt exactly, since Grant doesn’t really discover Joey’s “experiments,” but that’s because he kind of can’t at this point in time. The studio featured in this fic is not the same one as in Searching the Depths since my whole thing is that the studio filled with monsters is a pocket dimension created by Joey to contain them. At this particular point in time, Joey hasn’t set the loop yet, it’s more of a prison for all the monsters inside. At the same time, he still needs his staff, so in a really bizarre twist of fate, he’ll occasionally puppeteer them to do their former jobs and bring their work back into his world. So Sammy’s compositions, Susie’s voice? Yeah, they’re the real deal. It’s pretty messed up, but Joey is nothing if not an opportunist. I think the best thing I’ve gotten from this fic is more emphasis on what ink is capable of. In different hands, it can do different things, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it’ll get manipulated in the future and by who.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this piece, or any questions if you've got them, so don't hesitate to leave me a comment! I hope you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful rest of the day, I look forward to sharing more with you soon!


End file.
